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More intake in U.S. graduate schools

Cumulative drop of 32 per cent; India, China make up for largest foreign student population

Washington: Reversing the declining trend due to post-9/11 visa restrictions, intake of foreign students in the U.S. graduate schools has increased by 11 per cent this year with a considerable number of Indian and Chinese students enrolling in the colleges here.

According to the Council of Graduate Schools, the applications from foreign students have increased by 11 per cent in 2006.

The report released by the Washington-based Council said large gains in the volume of applications have been from India (23 per cent) followed by China (21 per cent).

On an annual basis, both India and China make up for the largest foreign student population in the U.S. with one study pegging the Indian numbers at 85,000.

Despite the promising trends this year, the Council has pointed out that the intake of foreign students is still down, due to a cumulative drop of 32 per cent in last two years.

"This increase in applications from foreign students is good news and is a result of sustained efforts by both the Government and the graduate schools," CGS President Debra W. Stewart said. "The federal Government has made considerable progress in reducing delays in visa processing and graduate institutions continue to improve their admission systems and enhance efforts to attract international applicants. But the lower volume compared to three years ago bears watching," she said.

"At this time, the relationship between the quantity and quality of applications is unclear," Ms. Stewart, said. The issue of quality will be addressed in the next phase of CGS international graduate admissions survey, to be released in July, she added. Ms. Stewart cautioned that it would be a "mistake" to presume that things are back to normal. — PTI

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More intake in U.S. graduate schools

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